Operation: Rider 2
by ZaneLover0511
Summary: Set 20years after Snakehead Alex and Sabina have a daughter named Hayden and are living quite happily in NYC but when a figure from Alex's past life heads jams into his new life, Hayden is brought into the spy's life. Get ready to be hooked!
1. Cold as the Winters

**I've always been amazed at Anthony Horowitz's abilty to write a plot for a series like the Alex Rider adventures and manage to get all the fine details right. When Snakehead- the 7th book- came out I was even more amazed at the even finer details hidden... but this time they were incomplete. So I decided to read the other books and find details like this and write a FanFic based more than 20 years later- one revolving around a doughter. But... instead of making it just a fanfic, I've expanded these points I found and given reason to them. I've really worked hard on this and hope you like it! Just a few things- once the plot of this story stabilizes through the middle, it will be difficult to understand unless you've read the series (especially Scorpia becuase I use a lot from there) so if you start getting hooked on to this, I highly recomend you read the series. Thanks and hope you enjoy!**

**-ZaneLover0511

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**CHAPTER 1**

Ice Cream.

That basically described New York City at the moment. For Hayden Rider, New York was heaven no matter how cold the winters got (like now). Kind of like how no matter how cold, ice cream was always, well… ice cream. Delicious. The snow was basically pouring and school was most likely going to be canceled tomorrow, which meant that her mom, Sabina Rider, was probably going to take her shopping for something "cute." Sabina Rider was a professional personal shopper but with a medical degree, which was kind of an odd combination, but Sabina believed in doing what you love so that's exactly what she did. This is what Emma was thinking about as she entered her four-bedroom condo. "Mom!" It didn't seem like anyone was home. That was until she saw the dark, good-looking figure come out of the study—"Oh, hi dad."

"Hey," said Alex soothingly, breaking into a friendly grin. Alex Rider, a.k.a. Hayden's dad, was a software architect. Heyden often wondered about her dad's past. It was almost as if he didn't have a past. Sabina had pictures, videos, and most importantly, parents to resemble her childhood days, but Alex had nothing and whenever Hayden tried to question her dad, all she got was silence from a cold, hard face. Not exactly friendly, so she'd eventually let it go. All she knew about her dad was that he had been born and brought up in London with his housekeeper, Jack Starbright, since his parents had died in a plane accident. She had met Jack a few times, who was married to some man who worked for Royal and General Bank in London, and she was the one who gave her the few details on her "mysterious" father. Hayden knew it wasn't really her business finding out, but you couldn't blame a teenager for being curious. "How was school?"

"It was… fun." Even after sixteen years in the US, Hayden couldn't help noticing the British accent in Alex's voice. "I'm kind of hungry. Do we have anything in the kitchen now?"

"Your mom made some pasta you can sample if you want, or just take the usual chocolate chip cookie."

"I'd be my pleasure," Hayden groaned in happiness. Good food was the one thing that satisfied her no matter what happened. While having her snack she heard no sounds other than the light tapping of her father's laptop. Suddenly, the doorbell rang, breaking the silence in the house. It didn't surprise her though—in other states, you might find it odd to hear the door ring in vicious weather like NYC was experiencing, but when you were in the big city, it was no big deal. As Alex got up from the leather sofa and opened the door, he was only able to let out 2 words until it seemed as all the fear in the world had been brought to him, and that something worse than evil had seeped into his mind. A face she had never seen her father's face produce—didn't think it was capable of producing.

"Alan Blunt."

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**Yes... Alan Blunt comes back. Thankfully, I didn't leave you with this short lingering chapter and put up the next one as well! Yes, yes. No need to thank me. Just leave a little note in the review box :-)**


	2. Alan Blunt

**The last chapter was short- but I had no other place to cut it off. Well, here's the rest and review! I seriously can't wait till I get the rest typed up since it's just ah-mazing and it got all my friends hooked on :-) anyway... enjoy!**

**-ZL0511**

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**Chapter 2- Alan Blunt**

As far as Alex was concerned, Alan Blunt was a figure of his past life, and Alex was doing anything to avoid it, but when your past life is standing on your doorstep and a second from walking in, there isn't much you can do to control it. When Mr. Blunt walked in that cold afternoon, it was as if his childhood days were coming back again—something he didn't want. It had been over 20 years since he had felt this way and he never thought he would feel this again. As the head of MI6 operations took his first step into his house, Alex suddenly felt defeated. He was done his best to keep his family away from this, but as of now, everything he had done had shattered. The only thing left to do was let the old man in.

Alan Blunt had been the head of the secret British intelligence MI6 for quite sometime now and as the time when on, got quite attached it to. Alex had wanted to get as far away from his past as possible and Mrs. Jones had given him all opportunity to do so. Alan still regretted ever letting a genius like Alex go—nevertheless, he did is best to respect Alex's choice and told himself that he would never try to find him unless really needed to, and the time had come. But he couldn't help noticing the fear in Alex's eyes. Definitely a type of fear he hadn't seen from that boy—well, man now—before. Was Alex really that scared of getting back to his past life? Alan couldn't just sit there since waiting any longer would kill him so he decided to go for it—"Yesterday morning, a certain criminal organization, one that I think you might be a little more than familiar with, placed a bomb in the Royal and General Bank."

"Nice to know, though I don't think I have any connection with this bank, except for the fact that Jack's husband worked there." Amazingly, Alex did a pretty good job playing dumb.

"Fortunately, the good man had fallen sick that week so he was out of work, but other's were less fortunate." Why was Blunt so calm about this? "And I think you remember the culprit."

"Oh really? And who might that be?" Now, amusement was the only thing in Alex's voice.

"Scorpia." After waiting a while for some reaction Blunt continued, "We knew that we should have changed our headquarters after the horrible incident in which Scorpia shot you, but we didn't think Scorpia would dare try again after their second defeat. We were wrong. Now it seems as if they've got something planned so well that they want to make sure they get rid of everything that could stop them before we even try to."

"And why should this concern me. As I've mentioned plenty of times, I've never worked for you."

"Ah. But you, as a fourteen-year-old boy, defeated Scorpia twice, so can you guess who their next target may be?"

"How kind! You're here to warn me! I think you've forgotten, but I've gotten on pretty well without MI6 beloved for the last twenty years. So I suppose you're planning on leaving now, since your job is done?

"What's MI6 and who's Scorpia?" Now it was Hayden's turn to talk, as she couldn't contain her curiosity any longer and a second later, the front door burst open, with a dark-haired attractive woman, obviously stressed, coming in. She broke into a motherly smile at the sight of her husband and daughter but as the sight of who was sitting on the sofa, all of that changed. "Hi mom! Dad and his… um, friend were talking of Scorpions and six-something MI's"

Now it was Mr. Blunt's time to look amused, "Long time no see, Sabina. The last time I saw you, you were dressed in a stunning gown during your wedding and now, as I see, you are leading a family. Mind introducing me to this lovely girl?"

"Alex… what's going on." Sabina looked as of she was out of words and when Emma tried to open her mouth, Sabina gave her a quick glance which said, 'keep your mouth shut or no dates for a month.' "Mr. Blunt. Do you mind if I come back in ten minutes and then we can stop you from convincing Alex from whatever you're planning on making him do?"

"Sure. No problem but if it helps, I think you'll be quite interested in what I have to say, too." But in a quick motion Sabina dragged Hayden up the stairs.

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"Mom. What's going on? Who is that?" Hayden was obviously confused, but, sitting on her bed, she started to get the idea that the confusion wasn't going to leave for a while. 

"Honey," Sabina started slowly, sitting beside her daughter "I don't know what you know and what you don't know, but just please don't question your father until he decides it's time to tell you himself. I'm not really too sure what's going on myself, but I've got an idea and it's not pretty. Just promise me that you won't question anything."

"What's going on."

"I told you I'll tell you when I find out."

"You know who that guy is and you know how he knows you and that's all I need for now." Hayden stated as it was the simplest thing in the world.

"I really wish it was that easy." Sabina sighed while unwillingly pulling herself out of the room and into the living room.

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"Now, I would like to know what's going on now that there's nothing to stop you from spilling it all out, Mr. Blunt," Sabina said swiftly while pulling herself down on to the sofa next to Alex. 

"It still surprises me that your daughter doesn't know about her father's past, but I guess I won't question that. Before our headquarters was destroyed, Mrs. Jones and I were able to track down Scorpia in a very minute matter, but we were able to get some useful information."

"Not too long after you relocated here, Scorpia seemed to have been the cause of some minor 'accidents,' but other than that, they didn't seem to have done much. But for the last year they seem completely inactive, which was odd since they were keen on making their mark on the world. Then the bomb was set on our building, and that scared us a lot. Now, we know that Scorpia is up to something and that they are trying to get rid of you, and anything having to do with you, before anything can get in their way. It's something big they're aiming for, and we need someone like you to track them down."

"I'm sorry to break it to you Mr. Blunt, but I'm no kid anymore, and it's very unlikely that I'm to be able to run the whole invisible act again."

"What are you saying! You are Alex Rider! Don't tell me that you didn't feel something every time you saved the world. You were the best spy in the world when you were fourteen and now you've got more experience than ever. I seriously doubt that's the feeling you get when you're making your software, leading a 'normal life.' You can make a change to this world. And without you, there's no saying what's going to happen."

"STOP!!!" yelled Sabina but what Alan Blunt had said was already seeping into Alex's mind. Blunt then got up, laid a small slip of paper on the coffee table, and walked himself out.

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**Pretty serious stuff, huh? I think so. I know ya'll want, no cancle that, NEED to read the rest so I'll get it all up soon. Review plz. I'm in constant need to know what my oh so awesome readers think.**


	3. The Story Repeated

**I'm really really sorry for the late update. I went on vacation and I wasn't able to get near a computer but here and I am! Basically, this chapter will be a review for those of you who know the whole series really well. Might be good to refresh your memory though. It's up to you whether you want to read it or not but I have the next chapters ready too, so read on!**

**-ZaneLover0511 **

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**Chapter 5- The Story Repeated**

It was mostly silence once Alan Blunt had left the house. Suddenly, as if Sabina couldn't stand the silence anymore, she broke the ice. "I don't get it. You tell me all the time that you don't want to do to us what your father did to you. But sometimes I feel that you're putting yourself into it."

"What do you expect me to do, Sab?"

"Just admit that you were meant to be a spy and don't hide from it."

"What??!!" Alex couldn't believe what he had just heard!

"It's your destiny and no one can control that, but if something happens to you, you'll know that it's all your fault—not MI6's."

"I really don't know. My only weakness is you and Hayden. Once I go after Scorpia, they're bound to find out that I'm married and have a daughter and to get me, they'll get you. You've been used once during the whole deal with Damian Cray and I was fourteen then. And it still hurt. If anything happened now, I just don't know what I would do. Ash, as much as I don't want to remember him, once told me that when my dad got married, Alan Blunt knew that he was losing his best man and now, more than ever, I see that it's true."

"Alex, I think, that after all this time, Hayden deserves to know what's going on," stated Sabina matter-of-factly. And in this moment, Alex got up and left for his daughter's room. Sabina, knowing things weren't going to be pretty, followed.

Once Alex and Sabina got to their daughter's room, Alex went in smoothly while Sabina was the one who hesitated. You could say that Alex's childhood experiences/ rough past had hardened him. Alex had seen things (and most definitely experienced things) that no kid, or any person for that matter, should have ever seen or experienced in their lifetime. Considering the curious kid that Hayden was, it may have amazed anybody that she was sleeping so soundly but her parents knew that sleep was the one thing that Hayden would never sacrifice. Alex knew that if he stopped to think, he would convince himself against what he was going to do.

"Hayden. Wake up," whispered Alex. Now, he couldn't keep the tremor out of his voice, since telling his past story would mean bringing back all the memories he had tried so hard to keep away. "You need to hear this."

"Go to hell," muttered Hayden, obviously in the midst of a dream.

Startled, Alex quickly woke Hayden up and began, "You've often wondered about my past, with and without your mother. Well, where do I start… when I was your age, I didn't have any known family except for my uncle Ian." Alex winced. "So I lived with him and Jack. He worked for the Royal and General Bank and I was told that my parents died in a plane accident. One day, Jack and I got the news that my uncle had died, and that's when I learned it all. You see, the Royal and General Bank was not a real bank, but the headquarters of the MI6 operations, or secret British intelligence." If not anything, this DEFINITELY woke Emma up.

"WOAH THERE!!! So you're saying that Jack's husband and that Blunt guy are spies??!!"

"No. And intelligence doesn't just work on spying. They need people the play the researchers, the desk people, and the leaders—like Blunt—of course."

"So… what is Jack's husband?"

"Hayden!! That's not the point!" Sabina was getting bored and was frustrated at how the whole conversation was going.

"Fine, Dad, I know your uncle was a spy but I don't think you've noticed—I've never met him, and to tell you the truth, he means nothing to me. I want to know why the scorpions are after you and why people are going around looking for you."

"Once my uncle died, I was taken to the Royal and General Bank and was told that my uncle did not die in a car crash like I was first told, but was murdered. My uncle had been murdered, and so had my parents. My dad had been a spy too. When my uncle had been killed he was in the middle of a mission—one revolving around a new technology at the time called the Stormbreaker—and MI6 threatened to take Jack, my house, and everything I cared about, away from me if I didn't continue what my uncle had started."

Once again confused, Hayden commented, "But you didn't know anything about spying, right? I mean you didn't even know your uncle or dad were spies."

"Right, but it ends up that without me knowing, my uncle had set me up to be a spy at a really young age. By the time was fourteen I knew four languages—English, French, Spanish, and German. I was also a black belt in karate, and my uncle had given me tip and tricks, you could say, that helped me in all of my missions without doubt."

"You've been on many missions?" Hayden questioned.

"Um… yeah." And using that as a beginning, Alex illustrated the story with the Stormbreakers and then on the academy at Point Blanc. Once Alex got to the story with the Skeleton Key and Eagle Strike, Hayden could tell from Sabina's expressions that she had a part in both of these. It took almost an hour to complete everything but Alex wasn't willing to stop since the next part was the most important—at least to him anyway. This was the part which would answer most of Hayden's questions, or leave her with more, depending on how you looked at it. Alex's memories of this were like a fast forwarded movie, with a strong part and a weak part in every scene. "When Yassen Gregorovich died, he told me that the reason he wasn't able to kill me was because he had been friends with my dad. He had worked with my dad. He told me to find Scorpia and that it was my destiny."

Hayden gasped. Alex's dad was a criminal? No wonder he was so quiet about it. Oh my god! Did the police think that her dad was hiding his criminal dad in his house! Try to be as calm as possible, Hayden tried again, "So why did he kill your uncle?"

"I wonder about that till this day. Yassen kept telling me that he didn't kill children, but I found that hard to believe the first time around. I knew if he had to, he would have killed any child who got in his way, or should I say his money's way. Something kept him from killing me, and he was willing to die from it. I had to find out what that was. Which meant finding out who my dad was. I had to find Scorpia to find myself. MI6 wouldn't tell me anything. They had always treated me like a spy one minute, and a stupid kid the next, so I was on my own. Next thing I knew, I was in Venice, trying to find whatever this Scorpia was." Alex was surprised at how easily the story came out after that. He had tried so hard to erase these things forever and now it seemed like all his work was wasted. All those constant hours of… thinking about something else other than the thing that really mattered. Even Sabina didn't know about Scorpia that well since Alex had mostly avoided telling it. That meant he had to tell it now.

Quickly, Alex got through the parts where he had been trained and was soon at the part where he encountered Julia Rothman and the video. Here he felt like throwing up. That had to be one of the most complicated times of his life. Everyone had a different story to tell, and he was stuck in the middle of it. Hayden, on the other hand, couldn't believe what she was hearing. She didn't know whether to cry or to smile; whether to wince throughout or to laugh at the thought of ever thinking something like this could happen to any fourteen-year-old boy. Everything she had heard had answered so many of her questions but it was almost too much for her to take at once. Her father was a spy! And from what she had heard, the best in the world! Then why was she so scared? She knew that her father was removing parts of the "story" to prevent it from being X-rated, and this made her hate MI6 more than ever.

Alex should have been proud of his achievements, but instead, it had ruined his childhood and left him with unwanted memories.

"What, Dad?"

"I was wrong. I don't think I can handle the rest."

"No," Sabina's voice broke out. "Alex, you're going to finish. Hayden, I know this is hard but we've been keeping the truth from you for too long. If Alex is not going to tell you, I will. I know it well enough."

"Sab, be my guest," retorted Alex.

"John Rider was a spy for MI6 and at that time, the best in his league. Then, MI6 needed to spy on the new criminal organization Scorpia, and John was the best for the job. To do this, MI6 had first set up a criminal record for him, so they sent him to live in a dump, put him in jail…and voila! They had a criminal ready and set to work for Scorpia."

"So…Dad's dad wasn't a real criminal?"

"You could say that, though he did kill people who had no reason to die, and stuff."

"Sab!" Alex couldn't stand hearing is own wife talk about his father like that, even though he had never really known him. He remembered the days right after Yassen had died and told him about his father. At that time, he seriously believed that he was the son of a contract killer, and that it meant that he was supposed to be one, too. "I'll say the rest. I know it the best, anyway."

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It was almost three in the morning when Alex finished telling Hayden about his past and went to bed, but Hayden most definitely couldn't fall asleep. She almost felt as if she had just finished watching a James Bond movie, but a very scary one. Her dad hadn't saved the world one or two times, but almost ten! Yet he wasn't proud. John Rider had the "luck of the devil", and when Alex was born, it had been passed down to him. 

So did that mean Hayden had the luck now? The more she thought about it, the more she realized that she _was _lucky! She was the most popular girl in school, had the best grades, and not to mention, the best boyfriend. That had to mean _something_.

Alex meant to give Hayden the idea that spying was not fun, but if anything, it told her the complete opposite. It had turned her on. Hayden knew that the Alan Blunt guy would try to contact her again, so she would just have to wait for the right moment –-whenever that would be.

In the meantime, she would just sleep and wait…

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**Hopefully I didn't depress you too much with that really bad chapter but I think you'll like the rest so keep reading and tell me what you think!**


	4. Meeting the Boss Again

**To make up for the boring-ness of the last chapter, I put up the next one! I think you'll like this one :-) I would like to thank my friend Sophie for helping me edit my story- I'm not the best at grammer and I really appreciate her taking the time to fix all my stupid mistakes (lol).**

**Enjoy,**

**ZaneLover0511

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Chapter 4- Meeting the Boss... Again 

It had been two says since Alex had revealed about his past and Sabina could see the need in Alex's eyes every time Alan Blunt had tried to make contact. How much ever Alex tried to disprove it, the truth was the truth—Alex wanted to find out what was wrong. It was plain curiosity, but it was enough to give MI6 what they wanted. Finally, Sabina was able to convince herself to one meeting with Mr. Blunt—but she seriously doubted it would stop there. Why was she getting the feeling that things weren't going to end here? Maybe it was because she always doubted that her family would ever be able to ignore the fact that the paterfamilias was one of the best spies in the world and that every intelligence and criminal agency knew and wanted him. It just wasn't possible. Before leaving, Alex and Sabina told Hayden they were going to a friend's place to congratulate her on an engagement. But Hayden knew better.

At five-before-three, the couple walked out into street, leaving the house to the teenager. What they didn't know was that she would be heading out too. When she saw them turn the corner, Hayden grabbed her pink "I Heart NY" baseball hat, locked the door behind her, and rushed out to gain sight of her parents. Once she spotter the brunette and the blonde (wasn't she really lucky to get the combination of both—you know… the natural highlight look?), she ran back and forth between trees following wherever her parents went. In what seemed like one hour, she finally reached the famous Caribou Coffee.

Getting in would be tricky. The small size of the café made it easy to get caught. About three minutes after Alex and Sabina had walked in, a young couple walked in so Sabina followed staying behind—and low. With her hat, she was able to cover her easily distinguishable hair and by pulling it down, she looked like some gothic stalker, not Hayden Rider. After pretending to be in the line for a little bit, she quickly inched towards the nearest table and slid under. Now all she had to was quietly crawl to her parents' table in the far back.

Thank god for giving Hayden a high cheerleaders' metabolism or she wouldn't have been able to go through all those feet on the way. She eventually saw her mom's famous Prada shoes and she knew she had reached the table. It was only a matter of minutes till Blunt arrived…

"Have you made your decision?" Blunt was eager. It was more and more obvious from his voice.

"Yes. The deal is, if you give us a good plan as to how Alex is to complete your mission, he will help you." Sabina was thoroughly enjoying playing the manager's role and Alex—being the silent, judge, not lawyer, type—didn't seem to mind.

"I don't think you'll be too pleased to hear this but, I have a new proposal to make. Alex, you started spying not long after you turned fourteen, but now even you admit that you can't pull off the element of surprise anymore. Anyone will suspect you as a spy and the fact that you look even more like your father makes it more obvious. It just won't work. When I drew out my original plan—I didn't realize you had a daughter, but when I did, everything changed! I think I have the perfect idea to…"

"You do not mean what I think you mean," groaned Alex. He turned to Sabina. "Tell me he did not just say that."

"Mr. Blunt, we have no wish to drag Hayden into this," Sabina said trying to calm down the situation. Alex was getting more impatient by the second, and Sabina was afraid of what he would do.

"First, listen to me. All I'm asking is that we have someone who will act as a cover up—kind of what you did with Ash and at the snakeheads, but this time, we won't be making the same mistakes we did with you. We learned from you, Alex. She won't be in any trouble and we'll have our eyes on her the whole time. And of course, you will be behind it all. You'll be spying on them through your daughter without Scorpia even knowing it! Then, once we have enough information, you will go in and destroy them once and for all. It's very simple."

"_You won't be in any trouble,_" Alex mimicked. "Where have I heard _that_ before!"

From under the table, Hayden couldn't believe what she was hearing. Luck again! Everything was going to her way. Now it was the time to make her appearance…

"Hi Mom! Hi Dad! Hi Mr. Blunt!" Hayden saluted enthusiastically. It was so amusing to see her mother's face in such surprise.

"I cannot believe this!" screamed Alex. "_You_ are supposed to be at home!"

"And you, my old man, are supposed to be wishing a couple on their engagement, but I don't see that happening," replied Hayden breezily.

"Hayden! What a surprise. I suppose you heard what I said. What do you think?" Alan Blunt was grinning like crazy now. It was probably because the last fifteen minutes had been going his way.

"I think you're looking at this generation's newest teenage spy," stated Hayden.

"Mr. Blunt," Sabina tried to be calm, "Alex was perfect for you because there was no need to train him. Ian had already done the job. Hayden isn't like that."

"Mom, that's not true. I'm probably the most physically fit girl the in school. I'm also really good at rock climbing, skiing, snow boarding, and all those extreme sports. Oh, and I'm head cheerleader, which says a lot the way it is."

"Alex, Sabina: your daughter, I repeat, won't be in any danger. She's just the mode of communication we're using."

"Great! Now my daughter is a mailbox!" Alex moaned once again.

"I think you may change your mind of hearing the name of the person who will be accompanying your daughter on to Venice."

"I'm sorry, but Ash died quite some time ago."

Pretending to ignore that, Blunt continued, "Oh, none other than Tom Harris, your best mate."

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**Why do I get the feeling that this chapter was really short? I wrote this chapter a while ago and when I corrected it recently, I liked it. Hopefully you did too. To make up for the size of this chapter, I'll put up the next one ASAP and be sure to tell me what you think.**


	5. London

**Happy New Year everyone! I can't stop typing up chapters and I can't stop putting them up! I've never been much of an adventure writer but I'm having a blast writing this. I took everyones feedback and tried to make these chapters really good so tell me what you think.**

**-ZaneLover0511 

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Chapter 5- London

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The next thing they knew, Alex and Hayden were on their way to London to learn more about the mission; Alex hadn't seen Tom since his marriage and was excited to see his childhood friend again. As much as Alex would love to go back twenty-five years and go to Manchester United games, he knew that when they arrived in London, there would be little time for excitement. The MI6 headquarters had changed since the bomb blast so once Hayden and Alex left the plane, they were supposed to find a man with a sign saying "Marc Downer."

Sabina had claimed when they left that she had more important things to do than kiss the people she loved the most goodbye before they set themselves up for death. Yes. Very overdramatic.

Once the plane landed, Alex and Hayden had no luggage to pick up so they went directly to find the man with the sign. He was a tall, Indian man with very short hair. Following him felt like following a robot and it was awkward not knowing the destination but they decided it was the best not to ask questions…After taking a ten-minute bus, a fifteen-minute subway, and a short cab rider, they finally reached Hugh Barrel's Great Antique Shop. The shop was deserted and smelled like old perfume, but Hayden decided to ignore that. The place looked artificial yet everything was real… or was it? It was a confusing sight. The man, after looking around to see if anyone was in sight, walked over to the side of the check-out counter to a fuse box. After opening the box, he pushed one of the buttons in the top left hand corner and out came a thin glass fingerprint detector. He motioned Alex to step forward and place his finger on the machine. Then the book shelf on the wall flipped open and revealed a staircase leading somewhere underground.

It almost felt as they were in one of those old horror movies, and Hayden couldn't help preparing herself for a scream. She remembered reading somewhere that they had these kinds of trap doors during the Holocaust and that scared Hayden even more. One of the other things she feared was the past. The fact that people once lived a way other than the way she lived scared her.

Once the door opened, the Indian man, once again, led the way down the stairs. Next there was a number code. The man quickly wrote nine numbers down on a small sheet of paper and Alex quickly memorized it. Immediately, using a cigarette lighter, he burned the paper while Alex punched in the code.

They were now in a huge foyer. After the man turned on the switch for the chandelier, the place looked more like a mansion! At the side of the room, a woman and a man were sitting at the front desk. The man walked up and took Alex into another room while the woman took Hayden. They were thoroughly checked before let out and then the front desk man took the Indian man in. After the check, the Indian man took Alex and Hayden to a room in the corner. The open door now revealed familiar faces: Alan Blunt, Mrs. Jones, Tom Harris, and a tall, blonde-haired woman. Alex couldn't recall ever meeting her though she did seem kind of familiar.

"Alex. Long time no see. I admit, it was a surprise when I heard that I would be working with you and your daughter, especially when I didn't even know you had a daughter!" exclaimed Tom while shaking Alex's hand.

"Yeah. I guess we kind of lost touch. Never though you would be working for MI6 though," Alex said almost shyly. No, not possible. Alex Rider could never be shy.

"Well… it seems like your childhood stories of your adventures inspired your friend to become a spy himself. He's a pretty good I must say," replied Mr. Blunt for Tom.

"Wow," said Alex now facing Mrs. Jones, "Glad to know there was someone to take my place as a spy. So Mrs. Jones, how are you doing? You look very tense. I'm really sorry about what happened to the R&G bank." The age was definitely visible in Mrs. Jones' face. It was amazing how she was still working for MI6 along with Alan Blunt after all these years.

"Yes, it was very unfortunate. And we lost most of our newer files. We still have the old ones concerning the Invisible Sword and Scorpia's older cases, but we've lost the newer ones. I think the person who detonated the bomb intended more damage, but thankfully it wasn't that bad. The information we're about to give you now mostly comes from Hannah Martin," said Mrs. Jones again, pointing to the fair-haired woman, "one of our newer members, not to mention most valuable."

Now it was time for Hannah Martin to introduce herself. "You have no idea how long I've been dreaming to meet you. You're the reason why criminal organizations are scared of us. Anyway, we haven't personally met, but you probably know me by my ex-husband Nikolei Drevin." Pausing for a minute, she started up again. "Let me start with names. Tom Harris is Mathew Holland—a very unsuccessful business man. A small time criminal—no experience but resorting to stealing to make money. Hayden, on the other hand, will be Sarah Holland—gorgeous on the outside, but a complete sadist on the inside. Sarah's mom, Riley Holland, was killed by MI6 in mistake for the person who placed the bomb. In revenge, Mathew and Sarah are going to find Scorpia."

Hannah hadn't said much but it was obvious what Hayden had to do. She had to go in as someone else, convince this Scorpia thing that she was someone else, and then find out whatever they needed to know. Easy. "I think I get it, but just one question though. If I'm going to change myself, I'm going to need more background information of the person I'm becoming. Will you give me all of that or am I just going to make it up if I need too?"

Hannah looked very angry for a moment but her face calmed down and explained more. "Let me explain everything first. In three weeks from now, Mathew and Sarah have first class British Airways tickets from here to Venice. Once you get to Venice, you will have a day or two to relax, but you will meet Scorpia at the New Venice Historical Museum—Alex would know it as Mrs. Rothman's house, before death that is. This is where Scorpia always meets its new members, so this is where you will go. A Scorpia representative will take you to your next destination for training, and if you qualify, you will stay, but if you don't—well, that's for Mathew to find out."

Now Hayden was very confused. "Huh?"

"In brief, what I hope will happen is that when Mathew takes the tests, he will fail, but Sarah will pass. From what we know, there hasn't been another teenage assassin or spy since your father, Hayden, and the world knows how useful your father was. Because of that, if you pass, I don't see any reason why Scorpia wouldn't want you. We will worry about everything that comes in your way. Back to your question, we will give you files on everything you need to know. Other than that, you won't need to know anything, and if you do, leave it to us or Tom. You do a good job and a teenage assassin is created!"

"Ms. Martin…" started Alex.

"Call me Hannah."

"Fine, Hannah. I've gone through Scorpia's training process and it isn't fun. Hayden will probably do well in all the agility and speed tests, but the shooting and killing—I seriously doubt she'll be able to do."

"Then Alex, we will train her," replied Hannah, fully grinning.

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	6. Tivoli

**I know it's hard to believe but this will be my last chapter for the day... GASP. Just one thing- try to pay attention to the new character becuase they will mean a lot. The chapters that I'm currently writing uses a lot of information from the previous books (Alex Rider) and chapters (Operation: Rider 2). Also, fyi, Tivoli is the name of one of the apartments in Hiranandani Gardens, the place where I'm staying, and I liked it so that's where the name you will see in this story comes from. Do you think it's an island-y name?**

**-ZaneLover0511 

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**

**Chapter 6**

Before coming, Alex thought that MI6 would be smaller due to the bomb and… It was quite the opposite. MI6 was huge! The next day, Alan Blunt took everyone in the room to Tivoli, a. k. a. the official island of MI6. Let's just say it was MI6's version of Malgosto. Just looking at the coast made Alex's mind nauseous from the thought of Malgosto. Did it still exist? It was up to Hayden and Tom to find out.

It was almost like Alex was a god here. Wherever he went, people gasped and pointed. It was annoying. Alex hated attention and since they had landed, attention was at its greatest. After the rushed tour from Hannah, she took everyone to meet the 'principal' of the MI6 'academy'—Steve Maisson, who told Hayden, "Here at Tivoli, we have a set of training and test for incoming spies but for you, and we've changed these tests to suit an assassin. We don't know what Scorpia will give you, because as of now, we have no way to know what their doing, so we'll get you ready for everything. The important thing is that you pass. Tom won't be taking the training course with you because he doesn't have to prove anything to Scorpia and he's gone through everything before he became a spy. We're going to start right away because we don't have much time, but with the right mind-set and the efficient amount of hard work, you will be an assassin in no time."

At the end of this long conversation, Hayden went of with Steve and Hannah to work on the training, and Alex was told that he was going to meet and old friend. Funny—Alex didn't have any friends at MI6 except…

"Smithers!" Alex exclaimed in utter surprise. The last thing he expected was to see the old inventor here. He had thought that Mr. Smithers would have retired by now. Well, no one loved their job more than Smithers. Of course he didn't retire.

"Alex! Nice to see you again! And wow do you look different! Much older I must say but you can't say that's much of a surprise. The growth and ageing was a very expected factor, especially considering the fact that the last time I saw you was twenty-three, or something years ago." Alex wasn't the only one who looked different. Smithers looked much older now, but at the same time, younger. He wasn't as portly anymore, but his hair had whitened. It didn't matter a bit though since Smithers was still his cheery old self. It still amazed Alex how many people had still stuck with MI6… everyone except him. "I knew you had gotten married while I was at the Himalayas testing my heat-inducing pills, but it still feels you were fourteen just yesterday. And now you have a daughter! Hayden, am I right?"

"Yes. So you're here to equip Hayden with something. To tell you the truth, the fact that you're going to be supplying Hayden with gadgets is really the greatest thing I've heard all day. I can't ever think of a moment when your gadgets have bailed out on me." Alex was grinning at the most. It was amazing how happy the old man could make Alex.

"I think you'll be quite impressed at what I have to show you now. I liked my previous gadgets for you, but my creations have definitely improved over time. You've told me many times how much you like the Game Boy I gave you but there was never another time when you needed it. Of course, I can't give Hayden a Game Boy because it just won't suit her but here I've got something of that sort—but even better. A person like Sarah Holland would not want to wear glasses due to popularity constraints so instead she would wear contact lens!"

Picking up a little, rectangular box, Smithers continued, "What she's supposed to do is attach this small, pinkish piece into her mouth and wear these sets of contacts. By pressing the button with her tongue, she will enable a holographic screen created by her contacts that only she can see. Now, this screen will contain many options and to select them she will have to move her tongue around in her mouth. The button has the ability to detect movement and attention, so, like a computer mouse, she can select the action she would like to make."

Smithers eyes glistened while he explained what his invention could do. You could really tell that he was proud of what he had made. "The moving-the-mouse-around part will be the hardest to master for Hayden since she has to master the whole direction factor, but from what I hear, she will have plenty of time to practice before she goes out into the field. The main use of this device will be communication. Since you will be putting together the pieces from the background, she needs to have a valid way to communicate with you and MI6. The whole system will work like instant messaging. She will type in whatever she want to send, select the name she wants to send it to from her contacts list, and send it. As easy as that. I've created a contacts list with all the important email addresses she will need to know, but she probably will want to add more—friends, I suppose.

"Before sending anything—or using the device for that matter—she will have to check if anyone is around because if anyone sees her suddenly zone out, they will suspect something. To do that, there is a motion detector which will help see if anyone is spying on you or is nearby. I suggest she use it at night but that's up to her best judgment. The other features on these contacts include a GPS so you will always know where she is, a speaker system to record conversations and send them to you, and an x-ray screen to see through anything in her way. Useful for spying on people and sending information back to you."

"I must say sir, I'm really impressed. Though I never once doubted your ability." Alex sounded a little sad. He was disappointed that Smithers didn't have anything for him in this.

"Alex. You are the one person for whom I always enjoy making gadgets. When it comes to you, it's always a game. So, do you actually think I would step out of this room without handing you something?" Alex knew that Smithers was a genius but could he read minds too? "It took me a while to get used to the fact that you're not a teenager anymore and that I needed to make stuff that would suit an adult."

"That's really nice to know Mr. Smithers, but I'm probably not going to be doing any spying for MI6."

Smithers laughed like there was something funny about the whole situation. "I think we both know the truth. Sooner or later, MI6 is going to push you out into the field and you won't get to meet me. I might as well equip you now before MI6 gets to you like they've done before. I'm positive that if you spy, you won't have to go at all near Scorpia, since they'll know who you are right away. Because of that I'm not going to hide your objects that much—making them easier to use. The first device I have is a PDA. Without your eye and fingerprint, you have a normal PDA, but with your eye and finger print, you have a spy's gadget. Here you can do everything Hayden's contacts can do and more. The batteries in your PDA are not batteries, but mini stink bombs. Throw them in a corner and press the right button on the side of your PDA and you will make anyone within half a kilometer pass out from the stink.

"Next, a classy man like you would definitely own a good pair of sports shoes. This pair of Nike shoes is normal when you look at them, but can do much more than a normal pair of shoes. Peel off the Nike emblem on the side of either shoe and stick it anywhere you want. Then press on the emblem below. The whole surface where you placed the first emblem will blow up. Very useful for surprising people and going into places.

"Lastly, I have a Rolex watch, but this piece of equipment will do everything—and I remembered to make it tell time too! Not like the old Spy Kids movie. Each time you press the button on the side, you will get different facts that you may need. Here you can get the time, the temperature, and most importantly, the exact location of your daughter."

"I-I don't know what to say. You tempt me too much, Mr. Smithers. I know I'll have a lot of fun with these gadgets—especially the Nike one! Just one favor: If MI6 doesn't know of these yet, please don't tell them. I definitely don't want them thinking I want to be sent out to see what Scorpia's up too."

"I understand that, Alex. Just one more thing: You are no longer a minor and as a spy—or ex-spy as you like it—there is no need to leave you without weapons when the opposite team is obviously going to have them. You ready?"

Alex broke into a smile. "Smithers—you've made my day once again."

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**How was that for a chapter??!!**


	7. Mental Training

**Hey! I'm extremely sorry for the long time I've made all of you wait for the next installment of Operation: Rider 2. Life as been very busy**—** I'm sure all of you know what I mean. Hopefully you'll like this one and the ones following. Please review and tell me what you think. I'm really looking forward to inputs from all of you to help me make my story better. EEEnjoy :-)**

**-ZaneLover0511**

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**Chapter 14- Mental Training**

By the end of the day, Alex was the new owner of a brand new self-laoding Ruder .22 model k10/22-T gun. What he didn't know was that this was the same gun that had been used to shoot Alex twenty-something years earlier.. But that didn't matter. He was prepared and that's all he needed. 

Hayden had just gotten her contacts and was learning how to use them. She was really starting to hit it off with Smithers. Their gregarious personalities truly matched. 

According to Steve Maisson and the other training staff, Hayden was in great shape. Alex told himself that it was a genetic thing— and it probably was. Hayden told herself that it was the continuous back-flips that had given her the muscles. Either way, Hayden was ready and in perfect condition, too. 

Sabina had also just called. Alex was sure he could hear the disappointment in her voice when Alex told her about how well Hayden was doing. One part of Sabina wanted to congratulate her daughter on her small learning curve—but she was a mother, and, as a mother, she could not support her daughter becoming a spy. 

After the major feast dinner, everybody went over to the meeting room to learn more about the plan. Once everyone settled down, Alan Blunt took control—as expected—"From today's tests and training, we know that Hayden has the physical ability and is ready, to some extent, on that part. Now, we're going to make sure you don't have the same problem that your father did—we want to make sure you have the mental ability. Hayden—let me ask you a question: How do you feel about shooting?" 

"Non-living objects wouldn't be that bad, I guess, but people—I don't think I could do that. It's not like I've ever picked up a gun and shot random things to see what it feels like. The closest I've ever got is water guns." Hayden was getting the idea as to where this meeting was going to go. She was going to start her shooting class soon and this was like the pre-course. The preparation course. She was pretty sure that MI6 was going to bring in random people and make her aim at them—so she was okay. 

"I understand that but you have to realize one thing—Scorpia is going to make sure you can shoot people, and quite naturally, too. Every criminal organization wants a teenage assassin, so they will send you out to kill. We will take care of that situation if it arises but we need someone to go out there and feed us with information. Sending a man is the most obvious thing we can do and it's not and option at this stage of the game. We want to know every one of their actions—you can call it a live report. Scorpia is definitely working on something big now. All you need to do is give us clues to figure that out, follow—or pretend to follow—every one of Scorpia's plans, and play along." 

Hayden was starting to get a lot more confident now that Blunt was putting everything blatantly. This whole deal wasn't seeming so big anymore. She really didn't know why her father was so bugged up about all of this when it was so easy. 

Tom now took control. He knew about Blunt and how ruthless he could be. Tom wasn't like that he wanted Hayden to trust him. Anyway, it wasn't Blunt that Hayden was going to be working with while spying. "Hayden, whatever happens, you need to trust us and that's all I ask. If it all becomes too much for you, that's okay too. If anything goes wrong, just make sure you tell me or your father right away. Time is precious here, and trust is too." 

"Of course I trust you. The shooting part is kind of scaring me now but from what I hear you say, I won't really have to shoot people. That's okay then. I don't see any reason why any of this should go wrong." Hayden was being overconfident and she knew it—but she couldn't help herself. Overconfident was how she felt. 

Almost as if he read her mind, Tom replied—"I know, but things could go wrong anytime and we just want you to be prepared. That's all." 

Hayden laughed. Unfortunately, no one else found the situation funny—"So much for making me feel better! The point is that now I know who to come for if I need help at anytime. I'm ready." 

"Great, Hayden." While Alan Blunt talked, Alex couldn't help but notice how he had changed through the years. I mean, he _actually_ complimented! Alex remembered how patronizing Blunt became when he came to see Alex in his house at New York . He kept trying to mollify Alex with his sweet talk on how amazing Alex was. Alex's sarcasm probably got him to stop. "Alex, are you okay with the methods of communication Mrs. Jones and Smithers worked out? It's involving contact lenses, am I right?" Without allowing any time for reply, Blunt went on—"Smithers never fails and I'm sure it'll turn out fine." 

Alex was getting bored and it was late. Hayden was getting drowsy as well, and he just wanted to break off the meeting and leave as fast as possible. "It's all fine. As long as you all understand that I'll be inNew York where I have a life, and not here." 

Mrs. Jones apparently had other plans for Alex.. "I'm sorry but I don't think that'll be the best choice. Think about it. You're a father and your daughter is going to be out there." She seemed a little sad while saying that and Alex couldn't help but remember how Mr. Blunt had once told him about her children. Weren't they taken away from her? It was sad. "It'll be difficult to track Hayden at all times from New York. We have all the proper equipment here to do that and you'll be in full control. We need you here at the island. And anyway, you'd be surprised at how normal life here at Tivoli could be." 

"Sorry, but I don't thing being involved with MI6 could ever be normal. Anyway, Sabina and I can't relocate. We have jobs, if you didn't realize. Moving on a short notice is impossible. And even if it was possible, Sabina would resist." 

Sadly, Sabina didn't mind moving at all. In fact, she was all for it. She was ready to do anything to keep closer to her daughter—even if it meant taking away from her life. Sabina and Hayden were always very close. Alex wanted Sabina to at least rent out the house before leaving—since mortgage was a killer in New York City , but Sabina insisted that there was no time. She really wanted to say bye to Hayden before she left, and that was soon. Renting a house was no easy task and realtors were a pain the ass. 

Alex was also able to fax in an extended leave-of-absence application into his office and for Sabina, so that wasn't a big deal either. The whole process was very depressing and without telling each other, both of them hoped that whatever was going to happen in the near future would end fast. And happily. 

The thing Alex had feared his entire life was now happening—he was working for MI6 again. He was employed and paid. Mrs. Jones was his boss and Mr. Blunt was his boss's boss. It was all logical—but not at the same time. Sabina was also employed by MI6. She was the nurse at the Tivoli Hospital. Both Riders had the very bad feeling that their lives were going to get rocky. 

It was just a matter of time till Hayden was ready to leave Tivoli.

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**What'd you think?** **I've typed up about 4-5 chapters and I'm working on revisions so I'll probably get them up by Monday or Tuesday. Thanks.**

**-ZL0511 **


	8. Reality

**It's just been one day since I put up the last chapter. I know it was kind of dull but this one should make up for it... right? Well, guess you'll only find out once you read whatever's underneath. So... get started!**

**LOL. Anyway, I just put up a one shot story based on Alan Blunt's college days. It was kind of a sudden inspiration and I really want to know what people think on it so please check it out when you get time.**

**-ZaneLover0511 **

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Hayden could shoot. The first day it was hard. Hayden couldn't get used to the fact that she was handling a gun and that her dad was letting her! It was all confusing but Hayden didn't let it bother her. She didn't want MI6 thinking that she was some scared loser. A loser was the _last_ thing she was. 

Hayden realized that a gun could be very intimidating. She realized that if she let herself think that the gun was better than her, it would all be over. She had to believe that the gun was just a chunk of metal and that she was the one in power. The gun was useless without her. Hayden controlled the gun and the gun did whatever Hayden told it to do. She was in control and she would always be in control. This didn't apply only for the gun, but also for whatever was about to follow this Scorpia deal. Nobody would tell her what to do and whatever happened, she would still be Hayden.

Nowadays, shooting came very naturally. Did that make her an assassin? No, it couldn't. She had been aiming at cardboard figures all week. A combination of two colors. A group of concentric circles. Nothing more. It was like how Mia had to shoot arrows at the dart board to become a queen in Princess Diaries: 2.

She had also been aiming at pictures of people but that wasn't a big deal either. It wasn't real so it wasn't any different from the dart board. MI6 told her that she wouldn't need any serious training because that would make Scorpia suspicious. She wasn't supposed to know anything extra, just be good at the basics. Hayden hastily tried to remove all of this from her mind. She was sick of these thoughts taking over her mind. Before, all she could think about were cute guys and outfit she would wear tomorrow. Why couldn't she just stick with that anymore? Life was just not fair. One side of her wanted to be a spy and another side didn't.

Alex entered the room and was upset at the sight of Hayden. He could tell exactly what was going on in her mind from the moment he saw her. It was exactly what was going on in his mind as well. He swore under his breath. Hayden was not meant for stress! She was an easygoing, popular, sociable girl. Not a spy! Alex pushed out the anger and walked towards Hayden—"Hayden, we need to talk."

"Dad, what if I become a criminal? I don't know what's wrong with me. Everything is going so natural. Well, that is a good thing in some ways… But it's just not right! How can I shoot while you couldn't? What does that make me?"

"It makes you Hayden. You are different than me. I don't know what the result of all of this is going to be so everything is going to be up to you. If you let yourself be changed, you will be changed. If you stand up to your beliefs, then nothing in the world can change who you are. When I got involved with Scorpia for the first time, Scorpia created a hatred between me and the good guys. They lied to me just so they could use me. I don't want the same to happen to you. That's all."

At this moment, Hayden laid her head on her father's lap while Alex stroked her hair lovingly. What Alex didn't see was the one tear that fell.

Hayden knew her life would never be the same again. Now she knew why her dad expressed almost no expression. Had that blank stare that could send the chills down you. Quickly turned away when you mentioned something about his past.

Alex Rider was hard.

Would she become hard too? She could notice a change in herself already. Three weeks ago, he biggest fear was losing her popularity and becoming the biggest LBR in the school—not like that would ever happen. Now her fear was death.

But not her death. Never her death. Death was the only inescapable force in this world and if she wasn't careful, she would increase the chances of the force taking over and leaving nothing behind.

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_A loving family. All sitting in the family room. Paul, Mary, Rose, and Tulip Jones—in front of the Christmas tree. Could there ever be a happier sight? Back and forth—crying, laughing—whatever it was, it was done with the whole family._

_ Paul was an antique gem and jewels collector and Mary was a housewife. When your husband had a decent paying job and you had a beautiful house and two adorable children to look after—there was no need for a job. During weekends, Paul and Mary shared their favorite pastime, gardening, and life was as peaceful as ever._

_ When their first daughter was born, they decided it would only be right to name her after their common hobby--- so Rose it was. She was the blessing of their life. Extremely simple and very brilliant._

_ Four years later, they were blessed with another child and named her Tulip. Tulip was the perfect example of a feisty child. She kept her parent's lives busy and brought light wherever she went. _

_ Anyway, just last week, Tulip had turned seven and she was extremely excited about getting the double amount of gifts. When the door bell rang, she happily opened the door for whoever was outside. This happiness was ended when she looked up and saw the tall, lanky man in the suit._

_ Of course, Tulip had no idea what was going on and neither did Rose. What they did know was that whatever going on wasn't good._

_ Within the stretch of the next two months, Paul Jones was sent to court and sued. Not even he knew exactly why but he didn't dare fight with the judges. The whole family was forced to give their house over and leave. The perserving Paul didn't give up though. He was able to get a cheep, one-bedroom, affordable apartment. It wasn't comfortable but the whole family was together and that's all that mattered._

_ As time went on, Paul was forced to sell all his gems and jewels at the price he got—whether low or high—and live with it. What Mary and the rest of the family didn't know was that he kept one of these gems—a ruby with a small computer chip inside._

_ On May 11th, 1964, Paul went into the bank to collect his interest—only twenty seconds before it caught on fire._

_ A single mother with an eleven-year-old and seven-year-old daughter. No home, no job, and no other family to go to._

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**Please review ;-)**


	9. The Ritz

**WHERE ARE THE REVIEWS??!! Are people not reading the story anymore or something?!! Hopefully this chapter will keep you interested.**

**-ZaneLover0511**

**Oh and has anyone else there noticed that the amazing Uglies series doesn't have it's own category on FanFiction? Or are you guys not into that? Sorry but I just wrote a one shot story on the series and I think it's one of my best stories so it's kind of sad that I have no where to put it up but never the less, I put it under the misc. section so if any of you are interested, please read and review.**

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At 6:20 AM, Tom and Hayden were called in to check over all the procedures. Most of it was boring formalities so it didn't matter to Hayden. Only the early time did. At 7 AM, everyone went to the restaurant for a British-style breakfast. Accents included since Hayden still didn't have that down perfect. 8 AM was all the last minute packing and checking with the hugs and kissing. Then it came—9 AM. Also known as the departure time.

It was really depressing. It was like suddenly knowing that you weren't a carefree kid anymore and that it was time to grow out. Hayden wondered if this was how a caterpillar felt once it came out of its cocoon. The caterpillar probably wanted its long awaited growth but Hayden didn't at all. She just felt like a suicide bomber.

All through the way, it helped that Tom was really friendly. It was hard to believe that this man could ever be a spy. He was an open book with a few minor torn pages. The usual working man—not some bloody MI6 operative. Conversations were carried on so easily that in the hours that passed, Hayden could have sworn that she was really Sarah Holland, the beloved yet vicious daughter of Mathew Holland.

Once they boarded the airplane, Hayden couldn't help but fall asleep in the first class seats. Tom had something to do on his laptop so anti-socialness had dozed her off. It was okay though considering that Hayden needed the sleep. Close to four hours later, the plane landed in Venice and everyone exited the plane. After seeing the luxurious limo that took them to the local Ritz-Carlton, she was sure that they were overdoing the whole "I'm rich!" thing but when she asked Tom, he just laughed, saying that when MI6 was paying for everything, why not enjoy yourself? That worked out for Hayden since luxury was the one thing that teenager could not say no too. Who would be able to?

For a while, Hayden just stared at the ceiling, trying to push boredom out of her head. Then, realizing that she couldn't take it anymore, she put on her running shoes and went to go explore.

Venice just had to be one of the most beautiful cities in the world. The architecture was just so intricate and well thought-out. The only thing you would find in New York was the skyscrapers. Maybe that worked out for the everday business life, but for tourists it did nothing. Hayden figured that if you lived somewhere like India, there would be no way you would want to chose New York over Venice . Venice had it all—from the good food to perfect view from every window.

Suddenly, after running what seemed like ten miles in the scorching sun, Hayden passed this woman who had something in her that caught Hayden's eye. Then she saw it: The blue scorpion-shaped button on her open bag. That was all she needed.

Hayden followed the lady for over an hour. It was almost like she had no specific destination in mind.. Eventually, as a huge relief, the lady stopped in a rundown alley in front of an equally rundown car. While the woman got in, Hayden pulled her self low enough to sneak behind the car. While the car drove through the perpendicular alley, a paper blew against the left-hand window. Out of all the words on it, she was only able to make out the heading: Grace Hopper. The name seemed familiar—as if it came out of her history book. Hayden wasn't even sure anymore that the lady she saw was a part of Scorpia. Either way, she figured that remembering the name wouldn't hurt and that it might come in use on day. Maybe as a good fake name to sneak into the all-senior prom.

It was getting dark and Hayden knew that Tom would start to wonder where she was, so she headed back to the hotel. Thankfully, she had some spare change to grab a taxi as she was way too exhausted to walk all the way back. And anyway, she didn't even know where she was.

With the horrible traffic, it took almost an hour to get back to the hotel and Hayden had been right—Tom was frantic trying to track her down. He obviously hadn't had any experience dealing with teenagers before. She made a mental note to show Tom the basics of dealing with a teen before meeting up with Scorpia so nobody suspected anything.

Ignoring what he felt inside, Tom stayed cool about the whole Hayden-going-missing situation and took her out for dinner. He didn't even question the whereabouts of Hayden's disappearance. To Tom, it was just a matter of being polite. But to Hayden, it was a perfect opportunity to get some of those long awaited answers to her questions.

Italian Herbs was one of the nicest restaurants close to Ritz-Carlton, so that's where dinner was. Hayden made a mental note to try to get together with someone in MI6 in the future. Of course, that wouldn't be hard considering her looks. In the end, Hayden decided to order a small bowl of pasta while Tom ordered an eggplant parmesan sandwich. Finally, after sitting and eating like a proper lady for ten minutes, Hayden broke the ice: "Tom, I really want to know more but I don't know what. Everything that's gone on recently seemed so confusing and so scary when my father explained it, but so far, things are going smooth. Daddy isn't the kind of person to lie or exaggerate about anything. So what's the truth?"

Tom just sat there and stared at Hayden deeply for a long time—"Your father didn't lie to you about the horrible things MI6 and Scorpia have done—but at the same time, it's all his perspective. He was forced into working for MI6 at a very young age, but he was the best for the job. On the other hand, it was my choice to work for the British intelligence and I can back out anytime, so it isn't that bad for me. Between you and me, I wouldn't want to be doing anything else. I get to run around and do crazy things while being in the best occupation a man can be: A patriot. And it's cool because I don't have to always follow the rules." With that, Tom smiled one of the warmest smiles you could have ever seen. Tom was there to help Hayden and she knew it. This made her happy.

After all of this, Tom still had more to say which turned down Hayden's appetite. "I still don't want you to get into the idea that any of this is going to be fun. Unfortunately, people are going to die. MI6 have a habit of doing their share of dirty work too. You can relax and try to fit in but don't get too settled or it'll be hard to leave. If there is anything going on, I want you to tell me immediately or it might be too late. Most importantly, don't tell anyone who you really are or it'll be your father that'll be in danger. I don't think I ever told you this before, but I don't trust Mr. Blunt. I'm positive that he's hiding something and I'm keen on finding out what that is. In the meantime, we'll just have to work on what you hear."

Hayden gulped—"Sure… I guess

* * *

**How was that for a chapter? I finally got the whole story under control and fixed a really good plot for the whole story and guess what? I'm exited! I can't wait to type out the revised version and show it to all of you!**

**Mmmm... really wanna know what's coming next and what Scorpia's really up to? Maybe type in the name Grace Hopper in Google and see what you get... Yes, Grace Hopper is a real one-living person and has a really big part in the story so check it out for a hint.**

**-ZL0511 **


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